Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped from India’s playing XI for IND vs AFG 1st T20I

India captain Shreyas Iyer will lead a home side that hosts Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series, beginning today at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The fixtures offer India a chance to refine their balance ahead of bigger assignments and provide Afghanistan an opportunity to test themselves against top-level competition on Indian soil. In a late development ahead of the first game, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped from India's playing XI for the 1st T20I. Sooryavanshi, who had been in contention for a pace-heavy role or a middle-order slot depending on conditions, will not feature in the XI as selected for this match. The rest of the squad remains largely unchanged from the lead-up selections, and Iyer will rely on a versatile unit to execute a planned mix of batting depth and bowling options. Afghanistan will aim to seize opportunities with a combination of aggressive batting, seam, and spin, hoping to upset the home team on Indian soil. The match is scheduled under lights at a venue that has seen improvements ahead of the series, and a sizeable local crowd is expected to lend the atmosphere. Further updates on the squad for the following games may emerge as the series progresses.